Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) presidential candidate Han Kuo-yu (韓國瑜) yesterday announced the establishment of his national policy advisory group.
Han unveiled the names of 100 advisers on his team, saying that there were another 100 whose names were temporarily withheld from the public due to their other roles.
Former premier Simon Chang (張善政), convener of the team, said that many of its members were “very worried” about Taiwan’s future.
Photo: Chien Jung-fong, Taipei Times
Han said that he had not been aware that so many people were so perturbed prior to extending the invitation.
He said that his platform was simple and that he wanted Taiwan to be safe and for its people to be wealthy, adding that President Tsai Ing-wen’s (蔡英文) administration has over the past three-and-a-half years led Taiwan in the opposite direction.
Failure in international diplomacy has led to tenser cross-strait relations, while a lack of success in domestic policies has led to heightened tensions in society, as well as worried industries, Han said.
The Tsai administration should endeavor to convince the Taiwanese public that it can lead them to safety and prosperity, Han said, adding that it should convince the people who have supported the Democratic Progressive Party for so long.
The Tsai administration has released numerous white papers, but often the policies they contain are not backed up by action, he said.
Han said that his campaign would not only provide a policy platform, but also state how it would achieve its goals.
The advisory group was primarily established to help provide important policies, as well as help his campaign office interact with the nation’s industries, he said.
Separately yesterday, amid criticism against Han, including by former KMT members Ao Po-sheng (敖博勝) and Yang Chiu-hsing (楊秋興), party sources said that Han critics form the “same group of people” and posed no threat, adding that presidential candidates should be the subject of critique and examination.
Han’s admission to being “somewhat wild” in his youth means that his past poses very little threat, but the possibility of former Hon Hai Precision Industry Co founder Terry Gou (郭台銘) leaving the party and running as an independent is a real danger, they said.
The party is 100 percent behind Han, as he has received its nomination, another source said, but added that high-ranking KMT officials should seek to contain the possible damage to Han’s campaign that would result if KMT Legislator Wang Jin-pyng (王金平) and Gou leave the party.
Honor guards are to stop performing changing of the guard ceremonies around a statue of Chiang Kai-shek (蔣介石) to avoid “worshiping authoritarianism,” the Ministry of Culture said yesterday. The fate of the bronze statue has long been the subject of fierce and polarizing debate in Taiwan, which has transformed from an autocracy under Chiang into one of Asia’s most vibrant democracies. The changing of the guard each hour at the Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall in Taipei is a major tourist attraction, but starting from 9am on Monday, the ceremony is to be moved outdoors to Democracy Boulevard, outside the eponymous blue-and-white memorial
The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) supports peaceful unification with China, and President William Lai (賴清德) is “a bit naive” for being a “practical worker for Taiwanese independence,” former president Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) said in an interview published yesterday. Asked about whether the KMT is on the same page as the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) and the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) on the issue of Taiwanese independence or unification with China, Ma told the Malaysian Chinese-language newspaper Sin Chew Daily that they are not. While the KMT supports peaceful unification and is against unification by force, the DPP opposes unification as such and
FATAL ILLNESS: Untreated symptoms can rapidly worsen to complications such as high fever, seizures and loss of consciousness, and can be life-threatening, a doctor said Hospitals have been reporting dozens of people with heat-related illnesses every day over the past week, given continuous high daytime temperatures, so recognizing the early signs of heatstroke is crucial in preventing serious complications, a Taipei City Hospital emergency physician said. The Central Weather Administration yesterday issued a heat alert for 19 cities and counties across Taiwan, with temperatures in New Taipei City, Miaoli County and Pingtung County likely to exceed 38°C, and temperatures in 12 cities and counties likely to exceed 36°C for three days straight. More than a dozen people were taken to hospitals for heat-related illnesses every day from
The annual Taipei Summer Festival, which starts today, is to tone down its fireworks displays, the Taipei Department of Information and Tourism said on Monday. Fireworks displays are to be held at the riverside site in Datong District’s (大同) Dadaocheng (大稻埕) area on four days at this year’s festival, with the first today, and then on Wednesday next week, July 31 and Aug. 10, the department said. There were eight displays last year, with the reduction aimed at minimizing inconvenience to local residents, it said. The first three shows, which are all on Wednesdays, are to last for five minutes, while the final